NSW SES responds to over 1,000 calls as heavy rain batters parts of the state
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News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Wamberal residents left furious over evacuation
Homeowners on the NSW Central Coast who have been forced to evacuate have slammed preparations for the current 'bomb cyclone' as a 'joke', with one resident calling NSW Premier Chris Minns a 'coward'. Evacuation orders were issued on Tuesday for parts of Wamberal and The Entrance North due to coastal erosion and major swells, forcing dozens of residents to flee their homes. Many of those evacuated were residents of multi-million-dollar homes at Wamberal Beach, which are at risk of collapse due to coastal erosion. Extraordinary photos taken by show many of the waterfront mansions close to being washed away, with frontyards swallowed up by sand as huge swell erodes the coastline. Chris Rogers, who is a homeowner and head of the Wamberal Protection Association, said despite weeks of warning about the storm system, the council only decided to do preventive works on Tuesday. 'The whole process, the way it has been managed is diabolical. We've so far been luck in this weather event, but we might not be so lucky next time,' he said. 'We are hoping to signify to them that they need a more permanent solution.' Both the homeowners and council have been locked in a debate for years on how to best manage the coastal erosion. Despite homeowners offering to build a seawall with their own money, Mr Rogers, who lives on Pacific Street, said little had been done in recent years. 'Let's stop the merry-go-round. We are now stuck in this constant cycle of evacuation,' he said. 'Online it's all, oh you've got a bunch of rich pricks that own the houses. But there is actually people who have who have been here their whole lives. 'If you think that's ok, then maybe you need to go and have a long hard look at yourself. ' The same homes were hit by major swells in July 2020, leaving many on the edge of collapse. Mr Rogers and his family were evacuated when that storm hit for three months, and said it was hardest on the older residents in the street. 'Mrs Baney, who lives up the road, is in her 80s and has lived here for 50 years. She got evacuated last night, think about your grandmother being forcibly from her home in the night,' he said. 'It's a joke. It's un-Australian for people not to care.' Angela da Silva, who also lives on Pacific Street, checked into a hotel on Tuesday night, before returning to her home on Wednesday. She said came back to find her backyard was now a 'triangle instead of a rectangle' after a portion eroded into the ocean. 'This has been happening for many, many years. I think soon all the houses will just have to go. It's mother nature,' Ms De Silva said. In April, Chris Minns met with Wamberal residents over their concerns of the coastal erosion. Mr Minns is opposed to a seawall, however, vowed in the meeting to find a solution. Mr Rogers said no action has been taken by the NSW Premier since. 'If you look a guy in the eye and say you are going to do something and then you don't do it … that's called being a coward,' he said. Asked about the issue on Wednesday, Mr Minns said it was not something you could 'just click your fingers and fix'. 'There's a reason no one did anything about this for 10 years, and that is that community has been under threat from coastal erosion for a long time,' Mr Minns said. 'A permanent fix like a sea wall could do more damage than good, and I've resisted it, not because I'm trying to save money or drag our feet, but because I think it would do more damage than it would save.' In a statement, Central Coast Council said it was working with the NSW Government to find a long-term solution, labelling the situation at Wamberal 'very complex'. 'Council undertook emergency repair works - after receiving instruction from the Local Emergency Operations Controller on Monday afternoon - on both Tuesday and Wednesday mornings this week at Wamberal beach, including sand nourishment and the placement of rock bags,' the statement. 'This was in preparation of the expected weather event. Residents have been kept informed of the authorised works, which Council acknowledges are a short-term emergency solution.' Evacuations also hit The Entrance North There were similar scenes at the Entrance North on Wednesday as homes along Hutton Road were battered with large swells. One home on the street lost a large tree in their backyard as the coastline eroded overnight. Despite layers of rocks being placed along the coastline over the years, residents on the street said they are still losing land each time there is a big storm. 'Don't even get me started. The council just doesn't want to hear about it,' one neighbour said. NSW Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib said on Wednesday morning that weather will likely become more severe heading into Thursday. The Bureau of Meteorology has warned rainfall of up to 200mm is expected throughout the weather system with damaging winds, huge surf and erosion set to impact millions of residents in NSW.
News.com.au
6 hours ago
- News.com.au
Three dead in Spain and top of Eiffel Tower shut in Paris as heatwave scorches Europe
A deadly wildfire has broken out in Spain and the top of the Eiffel Tower has been closed in Pairs – which was placed on red alert on Tuesday – as southern Europe swelters through a brutal heatwave. The summer's first major heatwave has scorched countries along the northern coast of the Mediterranean. The Mediterranean Sea itself was warmer than usual, recording a new June high of 26.01C on Sunday, according to French weather service scientist Thibault Guinaldo, citing data from EU monitor Copernicus. According to scientists, extreme weather events, such as heatwaves and storms, are becoming more intense due to man-made climate change. Thousands of people have died in Europe during past heatwaves, prompting authorities to issue warnings for old and young, the sick, and others vulnerable to what experts call a 'silent killer'. Three dead in Spain In Spain – where temperatures have exceeded 40 degrees Celsius – firefighters said they found two bodies after a fire broke out in the Catalonia region in the country's north east. Authorities had on Tuesday confined about 14,000 people to their homes due to two wildfires that broke out almost simultaneously in the province of Lerida. In one of the blazes, near the city of Cosco, 'two people were found lifeless by firefighters', the fire and emergency service said in a statement. The exact cause of the fire was unclear, but the service said the recent heat, dry conditions and strong winds caused by storms had increased the intensity of the flames. Catalonia regional president Salvador Illa said he was 'dismayed after learning of the death of two people as a result of the fire', in a post on X. Hours earlier, police in the region had reported the death of a two-year-old boy after he was left in a parked car in the sun for several hours. Earlier, one person died in the southern city of Cordoba and another in Barcelona, both while doing road work on Saturday. They were both likely victims of heatstroke. That day, temperatures in southern Spain soared to 46C – a new record for June – the national weather agency said. Eiffel Tower's top floor closes in Paris In France, the heatwave was due to peak on Tuesday and Wednesday after the night from Sunday to Monday was the highest ever recorded for June. Paris was put on alert for extreme heat on Tuesday and the Eiffel Tower's summit was closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, with tourists prohibited from visiting the landmark's top floor. 'Due to the current heatwave, the Eiffel Tower is taking measures to ensure the comfort and safety of our visitors and staff,' a message on the Eiffel Tower's website reads. 'The Summit is closed all day on July 2 … Visits to the 2nd and 1st floors are still possible.' Other cities in Paris have been offering different ways to stay cool, from free swimming pools in Marseille to parks open until 11:00pm in Bordeaux. Meanwhile, about 400 hectares of vegetation were destroyed by fire off a motorway in France's south on Sunday. The blaze was blamed on a poorly extinguished barbecue. Prisons swelter in Italy Over in Italy, authorities have issued red alerts for 18 cities over the next few days, including Rome, Milan, Verona, Perugia and Palermo. Italy's opposition parties urged the government on Monday to improve conditions in the country's stifling prisons, which are notoriously overcrowded. The same problem also affects French prisons and the prison governors' union called the situation 'unbearable'. Heat 'exacerbates existing frustrations and tensions', added Wilfried Fonck, national secretary of the Ufap Unsa Justice prison union. 'The situation needs to be defused to stop things from escalating more than usual,' he told AFP. Other nations sizzle In Turkey, rescuers evacuated over 50,000 people who were threatened by a string of wildfires, the AFAD disaster agency said on Monday. Most of the people were evacuated from the western province of Izmir, where winds of 120 kilometres per hour fanned the blazes. Meanwhile, in Portugal, the national meteorological agency said the temperature had reached 46.6C in Mora on Sunday, which experts cited by local media said was a new June record. In Croatia, the vast majority of the coastline was on red alert as of Tuesday, and an extreme temperature alert issued has been issued for Montenegro. Over in England, the temperature soared to 34.7C in central London on Tuesday, according to the Met Office. The figure beat the previous highest temperature of 34.4C recorded in Writtle, Essex, earlier in the day.
West Australian
9 hours ago
- West Australian
Fire experts gather in Broome to tackle northern Australia's bush fire threat
Bushfire experts converged in Broome on Wednesday to meet with Emergency Services Minister Paul Papalia as part of a national forum tackling fire threats across northern Australia. The annual North Australia Fire Managers (NAFM) Forum brings together scientists, agency leaders, meteorologists and traditional owners to share knowledge and strategies for managing fire in one of the most fire-prone regions on Earth. Held over three days, the event spotlights successful bushfire mitigation efforts in the Kimberley, including prescribed burning projects carried out in partnership with traditional owners. Each year, fires burn through up to 45 million hectares of land across the tropical north, more than six times the size of Tasmania. WA Emergency Services Minister Paul Papalia said the Kimberley was the ideal place to host the event, given the region's track record of collaboration and innovation in landcare and fire prevention. 'Northern Australia is one of the most fire-prone places on Earth and it needs a fire strategy as unique as its landscape,' Mr Papalia said. 'This forum brings together the best bushfire minds to make Australia safer and stronger. 'The Kimberley is the perfect place to host this forum — home to proud Indigenous cultures, traditional owners with deep knowledge of country and a well-equipped emergency service. 'Hosting the NAFM Forum is an incredible way to highlight WA's many fire management success stories and keep that momentum going.' In addition to on-the-ground experience, the forum will address emerging challenges such as rising temperatures, the impact of climate change and the need for adaptive fire strategies in remote and regional communities. The State Government has committed $3.1 million to expand WA's Bushfire Mitigation Branch, which supports hazard reduction and fire-preparedness across the State.
